Mary's here!

Everyone wants a bit of Mary time

Very early on Friday morning (before the rest of us even got up), Clark quietly slipped out of the house and started off on his adventure to the beautiful island of Hawaii. This left Juniper and Linden and I almost two full days to decide what to do with ourselves before the much anticipated arrival of my mother later on Saturday. I had plans - big plans.  We were going to do a bunch of fun stuff.  But, of course, just as Clark left, I got an unexpected visitor, in the form of a pretty awful cold/flu.  Oh, and I had also just gotten a tetanus booster the day before. So I woke up on Friday, almost completely unable to function.  My whole body ached. My throat was almost too sore to talk, I couldn't use my left arm at all, and my head was in danger of completely exploding. I barely felt like I could move.  And I had two very bouncy, demanding little hooligans who had a WHOLE lot of energy to burn off.  There was no way I was getting dressed, let alone rallying to leave the house.  Friday was not a good day.

I did, however, survive, and we even made it out of the house on Saturday, and then (finally), my mom pulled into the driveway around suppertime on Saturday.  Phew!  She currently has them out for an adventure at the children's museum this morning, which is a very good thing.  Though I am nowhere nearly as badly off as I was that first day, I'm still pretty unwell. Consequently, I have a very, VERY limited reservoir of patience or ability to deal with things like appropriate clothing "discussions" or hair brushing fiascos with Juniper, or constant damage control situations with Linden.  A little space (even for a couple of hours), will likely do us all some good.

I always have a host of willing helpers in the kitchen

So, now that it is Monday, this full Clark-less week has begun, and we will see how it goes.  Hopefully it will be mostly pretty fun. Last week was also out of the ordinary, as it was school break around here, which meant that Juniper had no preschool at all.  Linden, however, still did.  This meant that for the first time in as long as I can remember, Juniper and I had a "mommy-daughter" day all to ourselves.  That was pretty darn fun, actually.  We went a nice walk, ran a bunch of errands, took some games to Starbucks and played them, Juniper got to skip her nap and do some painting instead…. what more could you ask for?  

Our walk on "girls day"

We were actually supposed to have two full days to ourselves, but Thursday got derailed - I had that doctor's appointment in the morning (complete with the evil Tetanus booster), and then we had to pick Linden up early from daycare, as he had spent the entire morning crying.  Yes, folks - I spoke too soon.  Linden's first week at daycare was (as I wrote about last week) pure bliss, and then his second week ended in full-on disaster.  Linden actually told Clark as they were driving to daycare on Thursday morning that he was going to cry, and then as they were walking up to the door, he was exclaiming, "no go to school! Let's go home - I play with toys at home, and snuggle on couch with mama"!  Ummm, talk about breaking my heart.  Who knows?  Maybe he was feeling as completely crap-tastic as me (he seems to have a version of this virus as well), and he'll be feeling much more like playing at school this week.  I sure hope so - nothing like having the emotional swing of complete success followed by complete failure. 

Fancy, fancy dancers (Juniper now enforces a "fancy dress and pantyhose" rule for all dancers in her productions. Linden is more than happy to oblige.

 Alright - I'm going to shower while I have the chance, and then prepare for a talk I'm giving at the library tonight on folklore (if I still have a voice by then, that it is).  See you next week!

Oh, February

Linden, avidly watching his dad shovel snow

February.  What a sneaky month.  So short, and yet it drags on so, doesn't it?.  Clark is about to escape this cold (and at times) dreary February as he jets off to Hawaii, attending a big annual oceanography conference, and leaving us in our little winter wonderland to fend for ourselves.  That's actually not entirely true… my mother will be arriving only a couple of days after Clark leaves, so really I have nothing to complain about, other than the fact that I am not ALSO going to Hawaii.  Another time, I suppose.

Sliding with Liz

So, the big news around here is that the past week was Linden's first two days at daycare. And how did it go, you ask? Honestly, it was as though he has been going for many months.  He LOVES it. There were a few tears shed on the first day, but they were not Linden's - they were mine (and only a few brief ones, I promise).  You have to understand that, despite the ups and downs that go along with being your kid's sole provider for most of the week, for better or for worse, you have a constant side-kick.  This makes his absence - for two FULL days - very tangible. But I am quite encouraged by his first week, and I think it will likely be very good for both of us, so I am embracing it as whole-heartedly as I can.

Making a snowperson

Other than that, we have been enjoying this unusually cold and snowy winter as fully as possible, with a ridiculous amount of snow play and sliding, and warming ourselves with blankets and snuggles and books (and meeting one particularly handsome brand new baby named Eli!).  This is, of course, the flip side to cold, dreary old February - it does bring some fun as well, if you go looking for it.

Winter at it's most beautiful

Juniper, hard at work at Clark's office, one morning when I had Linden in for his annual check-up

And… what else?  I realized recently that I have not been noting quotes very often, and I really should.  Here are some gems I have collected from Juniper recently:

(this one will be familiar to anyone who saw me post it to Facebook):
•"Sometimes, when I'm standing there, and people are talking, and talking and talking, I just think 'boooooorrrrring!'"

(the other day, in the car, a propos of nothing):
•Mom, you don't look like an adult - you look like a teenager."

(While working on a Valentine's Day card for me):
• "Mom, when you see what I have drawn for you, your heart won't even be able to stand it, because it is so beautiful and full of love"

(When I asked her to stop doing something that was likely particularly annoying, she stomped her foot, gave an exasperated sigh, and said):
•"Mom, why are you ALWAYS disturbing me?"

(Upon asking what is for dinner):
• "Oh my gosh, I LOVE lasagna.  I LOVE it.  I wish I could eat it every day, all day long, breakfast, lunch and supper.  And you know whose lasagna I love the most?  Yours.  I love all your cooking the best" (I swear to god, that is how it went down.  Then again, the next day, when she asked what was for supper, and I said "carrot soup", she wrinkled her nose and said "yuck.  I don't like the taste of that in my mouth." So, you know. Take it when you can get it, I suppose.)

Have a great week!

100!

This is Linden on a humid day!

Welcome to my 100th blog post!  That seems somewhat incredible! I haven't really whipped up anything crazy to celebrate… in fact, I actually don't even have much by way of stories to share. We had a really nice week, and a gloriously beautiful, sunny, snow-covered weekend.  I do, however, have a few pictures, and TWO videos!

Beautiful snow-covered trees

Tower-building is a serious activity these days.

"Look, mama!  It's a banana-phone!"

Suiting up for the Nutcracker

This is why you must always strap Linden into his seat.

Clark and the kids went sliding On Saturday AND Sunday this weekend.  On Saturday's adventure, they were joined by our friend Peter and his son Oliver.  Peter is the lucky owner of a GoPro (Clark is more than a little jealous), so he hooked it up, and then made an awesome video: 

Sledding with Clark, Linden, Juniper and Oliver from Peter Gaube on Vimeo.

And finally, I bring you an instalment I entitle "Cooking with a 2-Year-Old".  See you next week!

Growing Up...

Frozen pond explorers

I feel like perhaps I am starting to enter a new era with Linden.  We just got word that there is finally (finally) a spot open for him at one of the local daycares. He's been on multiple lists at multiple daycares for almost an entire year… it is not very easy to find care around these parts unless you are at least 2 years 9 months old. My plan had been to start him a couple of days a week in the fall so as to have some designated time in which to finish my PhD thesis, but obviously that was not nearly as easy as I thought it would be.  So, in a couple of weeks, Linden will start going for two full days a week. 

Peeling his own tangerine

I am struggling with this a bit more than I thought I would… the daycare (though I'm sure completely competent) is also very institutional, and is not somewhere I would choose to send either of my kids if given multiple options.  It is also prohibitively expensive. And then there's the fact that you're never quite ready to hand your child over to someone else during the day, even though he is well over 2 at this point.  But I have been paying tuition since the fall and not getting much done, so this will hopefully be great in that respect.  Also, I think it will be wonderful for Linden to get to play with a whole bunch of kids his own age in the course of a week.  Hopefully these goods will outweigh the bads.

Truth be told, Linden is getting older.  He peels his own fruit (see above), helps with dinner prep (see below), talks in almost full sentences (the other day, he said "ummm… yeah. I not done yet.  Need to finish my cracker first").  Maybe I'm struggling with that a bit as well :) 

Fastidiously peeling a carrot

Not much else to report over here - everyone is a little under the weather, and therefore there haven't been all that many adventures or pictures from this past week.  But every year, when I put together calendars, I find my February choices pretty dismal.  So this month I will try very hard to remedy that - I will be very conscious of taking as many great pictures as I can, despite the inevitable dismalness that is February!  

Special visitors

So much fun with Deb and Yvon!

We had some very special visitors this week - "Deb" and Yvon got here late on Thursday afternoon, and it was non-stop partying until the left (amidst some very heartfelt tears) yesterday morning.  Let me give you just a sampling o what went on:

Friday: Trip to Boston!  Really, this means a trip to the Boston aquarium.  It was an especially exciting visit, as the penguins were FINALLY back from vacation, and Myrtle the Turtle came especially to say "hi" to Juniper, as she always does.  Then that night, Clark and I went out to supper at a relatively fancy restaurant ALL BY OURSELVES. So awesome.

(Ok, tell me these garden eels aren't creepy)

Saturday: The morning started out with breakfast at Persey's Place (a regular favourite), followed by a long, energetic swim in the hotel pool.  Then in the afternoon, Juniper got to take Deborah to her weekly knitting and movie event at the Wood's Hole Library, which made her feel pretty big.  

Persey's Place breakfast

Then, in the evening, there was a big dinner party at Fiamma and Rosalba's new house.  An enormous amount of fun was had by all.  At some point, the non-stop music samples on the electric keyboard were turned on, and there was a dance party to end all dance parties.  i would have to say that, based on  creative moves and long-term commitment to the dancing, Juniper won the evening.  Here is a sample with Ben, Liz, Juniper, Linden and Kea:

Sunday: Day #2 in a row with Persey's place and a swim.   Then, after packing everything up, Deborah and Yvon left shortly before noon.  This was very emotional for Juniper, but luckily there was a birthday party at noon to distract her (held at a dance studio - what could be better?)

Swimming REALLY tuckered these kids out

And finally, I just thought I'd add this little anecdote:

So a few days ago, Linden came to my bed in the morning, and instead of saying "I NEED A BREAST", or "I NEED A HUG", he crawled up, snuggled into me, and said "I need my girl". (except it sounded much more like "I need my grill")  So, either he's been listening to too much of The National  (which is a possibility), or he really felt like some BBQ, or he thinks of me as "his girl".  Maybe it is some combo of the three, but I like to think it is the latter.

See you next Monday!

Monday!

levitating

Welcome to your first weekly Monday post!  Not all that much has happened of note since last Friday, so I'll post a couple of pictures, and regale you with snippets of just general life as it is right now.

Linden, now well into his "terrific" twos, is as much a handful, a sweetheart (and at times, a terror) as he has ever been, but his ever-growing ability to communicate makes him relatively hilarious at times as well. More than just mastering sentences, he is also incredibly expressive - a complete facial, body, intonation package. He also makes sure that he is heard and understood.  For instance, we were watching the Nutcracker Ballet the other night (on YouTube), and at one point he queried, "where did the horses go?"
"Ummm - backstage?" I guessed.
"No - went back to the farm. Eating grass, yum yum yum. Neigh!!! Yummy hay, too".  Not getting enough of a reaction, he placed his hand on Juniper's shoulder, put his face directly in hers, and announced "HORSES GO BACK TO THE FARM, JU-A-PER. EAT GRASS." We all acknowledged this clearly important truth, and he went back to studying the ballet in peace for another minute or two.

post-ballet snuggles

He also often expresses himself in needs:
(every morning): I NEED A BREAST!  (to which I usually respond "Linden, I don't think you actually do.  How about we go down and have breakfast?"  But so far, he has managed to convince me, often by placing my head in his hands and repeating himself with his eyes inches from mine that he does in fact "NEED A BREAST")
(often throughout the day): I NEED A HUG! Sometimes this is because he is sad or hurt.  Often, however, it is just because he randomly feels the need for a hug, which is perhaps one of the most endearing, heart-warming things I experience as a mom.  He also, however, likes to test just how much I love him by declaring ardently that he needs a hug right when he is at his messiest during mealtime. These hugs I postpone until after he has been cleaned up… I'm not sure what important subtextual message I am inadvertently sending, but I can only do so much laundry!

you take one from the bottom...

The other (really annoying) trend that has been happening lately is Linden's complete denial of wrongdoing. For instance, I watch Linden touch the computer.
Tara: "Linden!  Don't touch the computer!"
Linden: (indignantly) "I didn't!
Tara: "yes you did!  I watched you do it!"
Linden: "No I didn't! Didn't touch poo-poo-ter. See?" (proceeds to touch the computer with his nose, rather than his hand). "No touch poo-poo-ter".

Juniper teaches a dance class

Juniper right now is obsessed with being a ballerina.  Obsessed. Every single day (often twice a day), she sheds whatever clothes she is wearing, and dons a fancy/sparkly dress, some sparkly tights, and requests to have her hair put in a bun.  Then she puts on the Nutcracker Ballet (always the Nutcracker), slips on her imaginary toe shoes, and dances her little heart out. If she is lucky enough to have an audience, we all have to pretend that we had never seen her dance before, and that we are amazed at what a beautiful ballerina she is. Part of me thinks we should sign her up for real dance class, and part of me thinks that she is having so very much fun on her own terms that we should just keep letting this play itself out.  We'll see.

Citrus sun-catchers

Juniper is also obsessed with being "big". This takes many forms, a large number of which involve helping with chores.  Folding laundry, washing dishes, making super - she is often eager to take charge of them all. Every night it is her job to set the table, and increasingly she has also been trying to be the one who serves everyone their meal.  This means that a) we are currently all eating off of the kids' plates and bowls; and b) there is an exponentially larger mess factor that before. Ah well. She has also been having some serious talks with me about how she feels she is outgrowing her nap, and perhaps this is true. But we have not yet crossed that hump where is goes napless and remains civil toward the end of the day. I'm sure this is just a transitionary thing, and that we will eventually find our way into napless territory.  Sigh. I must admit, that hour or so where both kids are down at the same time in the afternoon is something I have grown very fond of.

Anyway, that's all for now!  Don't expect anything on Friday, but I'll see you back here next Monday.  Have a great week!

Birthday Week!

Mama-Linden Beach Day!

What a week!  This past Wednesday, I turned the big 3-4. Now, I'm sure that 34 isn't usually the most momentous of occasions, but Juniper is now at the age where such events are VERY important.  There was a lot of preparation, some grand decorations, a lot of baking and cooking, and a number of different events.  Juniper even informed her preschool teachers that she wouldn't be able to make it in that day, as there were "special things going on all day".  That wasn't entirely accurate, but I was treated very well!

Stage 1: Breakfast in bed.  I was brought a delicious breakfast, a lovely card (where Juniper told me all the reasons she loved me), and I got to open my gifts from Juniper and Linden. Clark had taken them to the local thrift store, where they got to choose whatever they wanted to give me.  Apparently there was a *little* guidance… Juniper initially chose a "party shirt" that was a particularly garish shade of electric blue, and involved a lot of pirate-esque ruffles, and Linden chose a toy truck.  But they eventually settled on these, both of which I quite enjoy!

Cermaic tea/coffee canister, and a good sturdy wire basket.

Stage 2: Run/Beach hang-out. So, Wednesday was GORGEOUS.  It was warm and sunny and calm, and it even smelled like spring.  Though it took some doing (Linden was being less than cooperative), Linden and I managed to get ourselves out the door.  Clark had taken the car to drop Juniper off in the morning, so Linden and I went on a jog down to the beach. I thought we might stop there briefly, and then keep on going into the village, but the lure of the beach was too strong.  I got to do a bit of yoga while staring wistfully into the serene ocean, and Linden got to throw rocks to his heart's content. Blissful! 

This might be Linden's very favourite activity. Top 5, at least.

Stage 3: Thai food! So after the beach, Linden and I made our way up to WHOI, where we picked up Clark and the car, and then we went to the Child Centre to get Juniper, and then we booted it down to the neighbouring town of Mashpee to dine at the Thai restaurant. It was a very yummy treat.  Here is Juniper trying a lime (and Linden telling me about how he had just had a nice big poop in the restaurant bathroom).

Stage 4: Afternoon to myself!!!  Clark spent the afternoon working from home while the kids napped (and preparing some dinner/cake for the evening to come), so I got to do WHATEVER I wanted.  In the end, I decided to just start walking.  It was too nice a day to pass up.  So I walked into Falmouth, and then just kept going until I reached the local health food store.  It may seem like a funny destination, but there are very few opportunities to just browse a store like that on my own, and I felt empowered to treat myself to some very nice things, such as a yummy beeswax pillar candle and some new shampoo and conditioner. Then I walked back into Falmouth, and found myself very thirsty.  Somehow this led me to the boulangerie, where I managed to forego the delectable pastries, and opted for an over-priced but highly-satisfying sparkling pink lemonade. Then, just as it was time to call Clark and see if he could maybe wrangle the kids and come pick me up (I had walked for over 2 hours at that point, and it was dark), my neighbour Mak popped into the boulangerie, and offered me a ride home!  It was pretty perfect, all said and told.  But I have no pictures. So instead, here is a random one of Juniper doing a young-Tara-esque head-tilt.  See, mom?  It's genetic. (I got a lot of flack for my propensity towards tilting my head whenever the camera came out in my early years).

Head tilt!

Stage 5:  Dinner and Cake! Upon my arrival home, I was treated to a beautiful meal, and some lovingly prepared and decorated cakes.  Yes, cakes.  Juniper did a mini one just for me, and then there was a bigger one to share.  Chocolate cake with mint buttercream icing. YUM. I spent much of yesterday making sure no one else had to be responsible for finishing it up.

Juniper's individualized mini cake (she used a pan from her play kitchen to bake it…)

And the big cake!

Stage 6: Stage 6 was supposed to involve a movie and perhaps a glass of wine after the kids were in bed.  I, however, didn't even come close to being up to this. Basically as soon as the kids were both tucked in, I dragged my sorry, tired, 34-year-old body upstairs, and collapsed gratefully under the covers.  I'm getting old, folks!  But it was a very happy, nourished tired.  I had had a truly great day!

And on a side note….

So, speaking of my birthday (and Christmas), there have been some wonderful people who gifted me contributions to a pottery course that I have been dying to take.  I just went to my second class last night.  I LOVE it.  I am frustratingly not nearly as good at it as I used to be (10 years ago now - eep!), but perhaps I will be by the end of week 12.  Anyway, this course is on Thursday nights, so I believe I may just have to switch these weekly blog posts to Monday, rather than Friday.  I would often spend Thursday evening putting them together, but that just isn't currently possible.  So to all my devoted fans out there (all 10 of you, maybe?), move your blog-checking to Mondays.  I'll even endeavour to post something this coming Monday. Bonus!

The two pieces I didn't destroy this week.  I think they will both eventually be mugs.